Method of producing molybdenum and vanadium alloys



Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

fl i a w M PA-TENT" OFFIQEI.

JOHN- J. BQERICKE, OF MERION', PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF PRODUCING MOLYBDENUM AND VANADIUM ALLOYS.

No Drawing. Application filed May 26, 1920, Serial No. 384,311. Renewed September 25, 925.

Z '0 all whom itrnay concern Be it known that 1, JOHN J. BOERICKE, a (citizen of the United States, residing at Merion, in the county of *Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful iImprovements in Methods of Producing Molybdenum and Vanadium Alloys, of. which thefollowingis' a specification. v

10 a "This invention relates to a process for )ro'ducin mol bdenum and vanadium al-.

to Q i loys such as used for the making of-alloy steels, for example. alloys, I mention term-molybdenum and te rggyanaclinm the percentage of molybdeimm and vanadium, respectively, being relatively high as compared with the alloying metal.

It is one of the primary objects ofmy invention to increase the yield of such high percentage molybdenum and vanadium ali, Iii-carrying out my invention I prepare an aluminosthermrc mixture of the molybdenum or'vana'dium compound. employed as source of one of thesemetals' for the alloy,

f as the case may be, and aluminum, together o witha relatively large quantlty of aflux such as lime or fi ugn sm igand the alloying l metal. This alumino-tliermic mixture lsreduced by any preferred alumino-thermic process. 1 Q

I am aware that 'it is old in this art to use fluxes such as lime,'fiuorspar 'andthe like in the reduction of the rarer metals,

and a so that it is old to produce high percentage tungstenalloys with'a large percentage of 'such a 'fiux. In the latter tease,

sult ,not' obtainable with the ordinary t tmount of flux used. n the reduction of AsV instances of such molybdenum and vanadium in standard alumlno-therm c practices. I have discovlit-[\ullllllu.

cred, however, that with a large quantity of flux in the mlxture the"proportionate yield of alloy from its reduction is increased.

Inanormal'eombination there isa certain. expected theoretical "or natural quantity or percentage of flux, but I prefer to use an additional quantity of flux the amount of which is roughly equivalent to this theoretical or natural percentage. Instead of adding the flux as a separate component part oftheimixture, the process may be carried out with a compound where- 1n the flux is combined with-themetal in the natural state as, forexample, calcium molybdate.

Simply byway of example I have found that where a reduction. is carried out involving the use of 'say'roughly 200 pounds of calcium molybdate it is advisable to use approximately 25 pounds of slacked' lime in addition. This is given only as one general enample as there may be a great number of variations in the amount of the excess flux used but I have found'that the above will increase the yield from 15 to 20% or ther abouts.

Iclaimr- 1. The herein described process of producing high percentage alloys of molybdenum or vanadium which consists in reducing an alumino-tliermic mixture consist-- ing of the molybdenum or vanadium compound, the alloying metal, a reducing metal,

and aquantity of indifferent flux materially in excess ofthat for the purposes of stand ard alumino-thermic practices.

.2. The herein described process of producing high percentage alloys of molybdenum or vanadium which consists in reducing an alunnno-thermlc IIllXtlllB.COIlSlSt1Ilg of the -'molybdenum or vanadium compound, the

alloying metal, a reducing metal, and a quantity of flux which is roughly twice the amount theoretically calculated upon.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. i

' JOHN J. BOERICKE. 

